Apple will overhaul Itunes with sharing and streaming features

WALLED GARDEN VENDOR Apple reportedly is planning a dramatic overhaul of its Itunes client later this year that will introduce improved sharing, streaming features and Icloud integration.

Citing "people with direct knowledge of the matter", Bloomberg reports that Apple will unveil "the largest changes to the world's biggest music store since its 2003 debut" later this year, along with the launch of the next-generation Iphone and Apple ITV.

In a bid to take on Spotify, which Apple apparently tried to ban in the US, the next version of Itunes is expected to offer users the option to share songs with friends. Apple reportedly is in negotiations with record labels to establish the service, which will also include Facebook and Twitter integration. It must be hoping that the feature will be more successful than Ping.

Improved Icloud integration will also allow users to seamlessly access their music, videos and downloaded apps across multiple devices. It's still unclear exactly what this means, but Bloomberg reports, "Yet as more content is being stored on people's mobile devices, organizing all that material has become increasingly difficult.

"The further integration of the iCloud Internet-based storage service is aimed at fixing some of those problems, according to the people familiar with the changes."